30 years of specializing in swivel tilt pieces

It was supposed to be a big celebration this summer. The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Swedish company Engcon, the market leader in turntables. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen under the current circumstances. Fortunately, Stig Engström, founder and owner of Engcon, is happy to give his vision of 3 decades of striving for progress in the way earthmoving is done worldwide here when asked.

Although a high market penetration of rotary tiltrotators comparable to Scandinavia has not yet been achieved in the European market, Stig is convinced that no contractor will be able to remain competitive in the near future without a tiltrotator.

"Looking at what is happening worldwide, we are probably two to three years away from the time when the industry will see swivels as a fundamental part of standard machine tool equipment," he says.

The Engcon group currently has production facilities in Sweden and Poland.

Why such rapid acceptance in Scandinavia?

Many wonder why Scandinavia was so quick to embrace the use of swivels in the 1990s and early part of this century.

Stig explains: "The quest for higher productivity depends on how the operation is organized. In Sweden, earthmoving companies tend to be small companies with one to five employees, where the operator and the decision maker are often the same person. In this market, both earthmoving companies and general contractors focus on revenue maximization. This means that everyone is used to paying per unit, whether it is per meter, cubic meter, pieces, tonnage or whatever."

"In other parts of the world this is different. In Germany or England  for example, customers often pay on an hourly basis, meaning there is no incentive to invest in more efficient technology. There is little incentive to get the job done faster, and this poses a challenge to the growth of rotary tilters. In fixed-price contract markets, contractors can demonstrate that they can deliver better, more accurate work for a more interesting price. Experience in these markets shows that everyone who has purchased a rotary tilt attachment experiences it as indispensable and would never go back to a conventional excavator-plus-bucket combination."

A winter snapshot of the Engcon factory in Sweden.

What motivates a swivel-tilt buyer?

"At the top is undeniable competitive advantage. In addition, it is mainly efficiency, ease of operation in changing implements, versatility, speed and precision that provide the greatest incentive to purchase. In addition, there is a huge  safety advantage in the use of an Engcon swivel arm, complemented by our Q-Safe coupling, EC-Oil systems and our proportional DC2 control system."

"Increasingly, operator comfort and ergonomics are an important factor in purchasing considerations: the growing shortage of good operators is giving them an increasing voice in investment decisions. And after all, every machinist likes convenience and comfort," Stig adds with a laugh.

After all, every machinist likes convenience and comfort.

Global growth

The 30-year history in Scandinavian markets provides Engcon with the solid  basis for penetrating other key global markets. A few basic principles play an important role.

Stig: "First, our focus on daily contact with end customers. By staying very close to our users, we know what they need to make money and can help them achieve that goal. This strategy is crucial to staying ahead of our competition: we use customer feedback directly to keep the product always ahead of the curve. In addition: Independence. First and foremost, we like to see our products used on every excavator, but the Engcon brand always remains independent and we follow only our own innovative development and production philosophy."

And finally, "Proximity. We always open a new market with our own branch office to ensure local sales, service and support. The Engcon group currently has production facilities in Sweden and Poland and sales branches in ten different countries; all with a knowledgeable team trained to give the right advice."

Expansion also extends beyond Europe: two new offices were opened in Australia and South Korea earlier this year, and the North American market is served by an office in the state of Connecticut, established in 2017.

Responsible sales Belgium: Alain Gerlach, phone 0493-437298